The market’s Art Deco facade dates back to 1933, and forms an imposing backdrop for the Christmas-tree markets that take over the parking lot when the Yule tides are high. When you get close enough, it smells like a pine forest, and there are always some Canadian woodland critters poking their noses out of the foliage.

But we’re here for the food, right? Montreal’s home cooks and restauranteurs alike swear by the meat at the Boucherie de Tours – the wall behind their cash is adorned with all the business cards of local eateries whose skin they’ve saved, from Le Bremner to Joe Beef. Pierrot, the owner, is “the man”, and indeed one year when I was making crepinettes (French Christmas sausages), the Boucherie de Tours was the only place in the whole city that carried the caul fat I needed for the casings. You can see from the delivery pictured here that unlike the big box stores, they still practice whole-animal butchery.

For visitors to town who don’t have their own kitchens to work with, Boucherie de Tours is still a great place to pick up a tin of Foie Gras  – a staple French Christmastime delicacy – to accompany a bottle of Quebec ice wine up in your room. (A hint: the SAQ across the street from the Atwater market specializes in local liquor, so it’s a great place pick up presents du terroir to tipple here and/or take back home). Or, grab some ready-made garnished sauerkraut or Cassoulet (another seasonal dish) to snack on.

Speaking of hotel-room treats, why not pick up a gift basket from the Fromagerie Atwater. When you walk into this mecca of cheese, it smells like a real cheese cellar (complete with curds at the counter, bien sur). They also put together great holiday hampers, full of great imported and local products. If you keep your eyes peeled in the Fromagerie, you can spot the little hidden doorways to some great caves – there’s a room down a few stairs that’s stacked with artisanal beer, and another little cave for aging cheese  – call it Narnia for foodies.

On the second floor, Premiere Moisson makes baguettes to go with your portable treats, as well as special Christmas pastries, cookies and chocolate treats that are re-invented every year (this year’s Chocolate figurine is a toppled-over Santa who looks to have had too much Christmas cheer already!

Down the hall, in the florists’ area, you can pick up a festive little mantel bouquet, a poinsettia, or a decorative Santa head to add holiday cheer to any home-away-from-home. And with that you’re all set for a moveable Holiday feast thanks to Atwater treats!

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The Bûche is created by taking a typical roulade cake (long, flat cake iced with cream filling), rolling it up to look like, well, the aforementioned log, and decorating it with forest-y details such as caramel moss and meringue mushrooms. In other words, the cutest thing ever. And since they’re very portable, why not buy one and bring it back to the hotel for a Christmas-y Montreal treat?

Montreal’s French roots and creative spirit means that we have some very creative iterations of the Bûche de Noël in restaurants and patisseries around town—we like the traditionalist Yule logs, but also like to mix it up a bit for some crazy flavours.

Les Givrés, a new ice-cream parlour on St-Denis, has five special desserts for the holidays, including a “campfire” bûche with caramel, chocolate glaze and grilled homemade marshmallows, and an “igloo” (not a bûche, but still awesome) made of vanilla-macaroon ice cream and maple ice cream.

Patisserie Rhubarbe, a tiny patisserie tucked away in the Plateau, offers a whole menu of holiday treats that are twists on traditional French recipes: There’s a St-Honoré cake (choux pastry and buttercream) made with clementines and chocolate, and another made with chestnuts, as well as a pear-yogurt–hazelnut bûche and a caramel-coffee-chocolate bûche. And trust us, their treats are worth the trip.

Fous Desserts on Laurier have a famous chestnut-and-shortbread bûche, as well as a whole host of other flavours. They do holiday degustations and recommend that you book your buche ahead. And finally, a beautiful, classic Bûche de Noël can be purchased at bakeries like Patisserie de Gascogne, which has locations all over the city.

Happy holidays and Bonne Bûche!

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Juliette et Chocolat: This Montreal favourite has had a café on Laurier in Outremont for some time, which is still a great place to stop off after a rough day of window-shopping. But in recent years they’ve opened a big, airy, beautiful location on what is certainly one of the choicest corners of the whole city: Saint-Laurent and Prince Arthur. This is an optimal spot for people watching, while sipping a treat from their extensive and inventive menu of liquid choco-love.

Do you fancy a “Dark Grand Cru”  or an “elaborate” drink, such as the Liegois (dark chocolate, milk chocolate and a scoop of ice cream with whipped cream on top) or the Nutella (all that and choco-Hazelnut spread, too)? Or would you rather be all grown up with an alcoholic chocolate cocktail with a intriguing title: The Nutcracker, the Choco-Mojito or the Snow White? The Creole, the Chocolate Ruby or the Spiced Sun (are these Blaxploitation movies, you ask, or merely chocolate drinks?). Stop in to find out.

Suite 88: This Montreal favourite, with elegant “chocolate lounges” on lively Rue St-Denis and de Maisoneuve, is a great place to purchase chocolate treats for loved ones back home and to indulge in a chocolate sip sensation. Choose from the classic drink in dark, light or white chocolate, or from their “intense” menu: Cinnamon, pumpkin, vanilla, ginger, sea salt or mint. Or try the Chile chocolate drink prepared just like Mom used to make, if your mom was a pre-Columbian Mayan cook. Spicy!

Havre Aux Glaces in Jean-Talon market: A quick stop-off in the bestest ice-cream store in any farmer’s market anywhere gets you a medium-sized cup of thick, tasty Belgian hot chocolate for $2.75 (and believe me, a medium is enough). You get to choose between a sprinkle of cardamom or pink pepper, or sip it plain while you wander through the winter market.

Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois: A Montreal classic. This is one of our favourite chocolate shops and she has the most tasty, sinful, decadent little espresso-sized hot chocolate, one of these will hold you all week. On St-Viateur, a coffee from one of the Italian cafés that flank her shop washed down with a Genevieve Grandbois chocolate shot is a neighbourhood secret.

THE DETAILS

Juliette et Chocolat, 3600 Saint-Laurent & 377 Laurier West

Suite 88, 3957 Rue Saint-Denis & 1225 de Maisonneuve West

Havre Aux Glaces, 7070 Avenue Henri Julien, Jean-Talon Market

Chocolats Geneviève Grandbois, 162 St-Viateur West

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Did you know that Le Renoir at the Sofitel offers a tea service every day from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.? No? Neither did I. In the Golden Mile district, it’s just steps away from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and haute department store Holt Renfrew. I’m so happy I found it!

It’s not your ordinary British high tea, though. But don’t panic Wills and Kate, there are those yummy little sandwiches with toothpicks pierced through the top and the crusts cut off. There are also fancy-schmancy teabags served with dainty individual pots and matching teacups! But in place of scones and clotted cream, you get hot Belgian waffles – just as comforting – served with a sinful whipped cream and local maple syrup.

Also, being a French hotel chain, the Sofitel added their own Gallic twist: French pastries by Pastry Chef Olivier Potier. So you can stuff your face – politely whilst maintaining ladylike composure – with moist-as-heaven madeleines, sweet canelés, melt-in-your-mouth macarons, nutty chocolate clusters, plus a few other things added depending on Potier’s whim. I dipped into a heavenly light “tirami-fraise” (layers of cream and strawberries), as well as a choco-peanut-caramel beauty, which is dubbed “Snickers” – like the candy bar, not “Sneakers,” even though that’s what it sounds like the server is saying. You gotta love those French accents.

All this, an all-you-can-eat buffet, for a mere $20? Oui, Madame.

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THE DETAILS

Le Renoir at the Sofitel, 1155 Sherbrooke Street West

And here 3 more more tea options in Montreal:

Queen Elizabeth Hotel, 900 René-Lévesque Boulevard West

Birks Café, 1240 Phillips Square (corner of Ste-Catherine Street West)

Le Maitre Chocolatier, 1612 Sherbrooke Street West

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Les Nuits Borgia is an exclusive dinner party hosted every Thursday in a gorgeous Belle Epoque dining room above a chocolatier on Sherbrooke Street West in the Golden Square Mile. The dinners resemble the ever-so-trendy pop-up restaurants that have, well, popped up all over the place in recent years. Hidden Kitchen in Paris had to move to bigger digs in the tony 1^st arrondissement while their waiting lists groaned under six months of eager diners (the hosts also became worldwide consultants for Williams-Sonoma). New York’s The Feast recently hosted a pop-up college culinary class based on their success.

Les Nuits Borgia, Montreal’s version of this trend, is both more elegant and more refined—though it probably won’t be long til they have a six-month waiting list, too. The dinners, which seat 22 people by reservation only (see below), are a collaboration between three careerists in the culinary arts who are also longtime friends: Chef Nicolina Servello, Chocolatier Nada Fares from Le Maitre Chocolatier and pastry artist Jami Liverman, as well as local PR woman-about-town, Anisha Rangi.

Les Nuits Borgia is “inspired loosely” by the historical figure of Lucrezia Borgia, a medieval bon-vivant who is also a main character on The Borgias, Showtime’s new show that stars local it-boy Francois Arnaud.

“Lucrezia was a woman that loved life, men and decadence, “ says spokeswoman Rangi. “When we thought of extravagance, we thought of her. Les Nuits Borgia is all about decadence and seduction of the senses…of course with food, not sex!” she clarifies.

Indeed, Montreal Buzz recently had a seat at the table for a Nuits Borgia dinner party; seated between our colleagues at Tourisme Montreal and a top-level concierge for local private-jet manufacturer Bombardier, we plied the night with champagne and a most alluring menu:

• Porcini and Wild Quebec Mushroom Medley on Crostini
• Springtime Fior di Latte Megaglione on a bed of Minted Pea Puree
• Baby Arugula Lemon-Lime Granita Sipper
• Truffle Salt Seared Bavette on Crisp Corn Polenta Cake with Buttered Asparagus and Roasted Radish
• Pear, Endive and Shaved Fennel Salad
• Chocolate Cherry Clafoutis, Vanilla Shortbread, Vanilla Crème Anglaise, Sour Cherry Reduction and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Before we began our meal, Chef Servello spoke passionately about her family’s hobby farm near Montreal, where she learned to appreciate the fruits of the terroir and where she hopes to harvest many of the ingredients used in this meal.

This particular night. I was especially thrilled with the handmade Medaglione with Flor du Latte, a creamy type of Mozzarella, and the refreshing Arugula sipper, an uncommon taste made me think of spring. Chef Liverman’s clafoutis was also memorable, with a not-too-sweet crème anglaise and white brownie to go that was devoured in a  midnight fit of appreciation for the evening, and the meal.

Guest Blogger: Melora Koepke

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THE DETAILS

Dinner: $85 per person / $98 per person with wine pairing

For reservations contact Anisha Rangi at (514) 772-8763 or email: info@lemaitrechocolatier.ca

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Brunch: The traditional Easter luncheon consists of a smoked Quebec ham after church, while the family gathers round the table. And while a delicious, naturally-raised smoked ham is available in many forms at Porcmeilleur in Jean-Talon Market, these days many families prefer to sit down for brunch in a restaurant, especially since the city has many Easter brunches in store.

The Mount Stephen Club, a historic club in downtown Montreal, has a traditional brunch buffet that includes a live band and Easter-egg activities for kids. Another option is Le Montrealais bistro (pictured above) in the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth hotel, whose weekly Sunday brunch gets gussied up for Easter Sunday.

For kids: Easter-egg hunts + farms: What says Easter more than fuzzy animals that are yours for the petting at local malls? The Easter Farm is a fond tradition in Montreal, and you can head on down to Place Versailles or several other local malls to coo at baby sheep, goats, ducks, geese and other poultry.  The eco option is the Outdoor Eco-Easter egg hunt at the Ecomuseum in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, at the Western end of the Island of Montreal.

Chocolate: Of course, sometimes it’s easier to just EAT chocolate than to hunt for it. Easter is an opportunity for local chocolatiers to go nuts decorating praline eggs such as the ones from Premiere Moisson, a local bakery chain that also carries an extensive seasonal candy collection, including the best housemade Easter eggs filled with hazelnut praline. They also have inventively painted chocolate animals such as bunnies, squirrels and even roosters. Another favourite is La Maison du Cakao, a tiny Plateau-Mont-Royal chocolatier run by a 23-year-old pastry chef who makes especially cute Easter baskets. Chocolats Privilege, in Jean-Talon Market, is a favourite for their unusual chocolate animals, including owls and squirrels. Adults as well as children anticipate each year’s batch of new dark and milk chocolate easter-animal figurines at Chocolatiere Genevieve Grandbois: this year’s include frogs, ducks and, of course, bunnies. She also offers a trio of eggs with grown-up flavours including a maple croquant and a caramel-fleur-de-sel mix.

Guest Blogger: Melora Koepke

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So why not spend a special weekend on the Main, curling up in a sexy hideaway and exploring some of Montreal’s Plateau and Mile End neighbourhoods on foot?

Lower Main

The Opus Hotel, at the corner of the Main and east-west thoroughfare Sherbrooke Street, is a slick boutique hotel in a heritage building that has been a Montreal landmark for over a century. Their Valentine’s package includes a stay and a tasting menu at their restaurant, Koko, prepared by guest New York chef, Jay Federer. (There are lots of foodie developments going on at Koko- they recently appointed Michele Forgione as their new Executive Chef and, during the High Lights Festival, will welcome Chef Anita Lo into their kitchen.)

While you may want to stay in for your special night, there’s lots to do if you decide to venture out: Buzz recommends an oyster shooter or two at Maestro SVP, followed by an art film at Montreal’s avant-garde film palace, the Cinema Parallele.

Upper Main

If you choose to move into the Mile End neighbourhood, things will get a little more handmade. Casa Bianca, on Rue de L’Esplanade across from Mont-Royal Park, is Montreal’s most stylish and modern-romantic B + B.

From there, you can take a stroll a few blocks up the Main where an afternoon coffee at Casa Del Popolo can turn into a steamy tête-à-tête— and you may want to come back later for an intimate show. (Casa also has a small hotel, Pensione Popolo, upstairs.) For a more interactive musical experience, record yourselves singing a karaoke version of “your song” upstairs at Studio Loco.

A further stroll up St-Laurent will bring you to the indie shopping mecca of St-Viateur.  Maybe she’ll find a red dress for tonight at Local 54, a dress shop that features local designers, vintage boots and ingenious handmade jewellery.

Also, don’t forget to pick up the traditional trappings of romance, for later back at the hotel. The florist Sophie Doval takes a creative, seasonal approach to floral design, and Chocolats Genevieve Grandbois has gorgeous handcrafted bonbons that have been a staple in the neighbourhood for years. (Tip: her hot chocolate is basically sex in a cup, but arrive early, because she tends to sell out by mid-afternoon.)

Finally, if what you really want for Valentine’s Day is a bone in your pie, Lawrence Restaurant has you covered—this brand-new dining spot featuring Brit-influenced, whole-animal cookery on the Main is the neighbourhood’s best-kept secret—their Beef and Bone Marrow Pie with watercress salad is a winter wonder.

Guest blogger: Melora Koepke

The post LOVE ON THE MAIN appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

The spa’s private dressing room was an experience in itself. The elegant and private space, large enough for two, boasts a built-in dry sauna and steam room, Molten Brown amenities, plus two soft-as-heaven Frette robes. The rain shower (yup, large enough for two) had jets aimed at us from all angles. And what better way to get you into the mood than a couple’s massage? In the dreamy Old World treatment room (it used to be a vault), we were surrounded by original stonewalls, soothing candles and calming music – and treated to a rub-down of 60 blissful minutes.

Back in our room, there was a package from Holt Renfrew waiting on the bed, a large magenta box containing a shimmery Michael Kors dress. Apparently, “someone” had arranged an appointment with a personal shopper at the high-end department store the day before. “Merci, mon petit chou!” (Oh yeah, in my dream, I speak fluent French too.) On the nightstand, a beautiful exotic bouquet (also from Holt’s) had already been arranged in a crystal vase. I read the handwritten note aloud: “The voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses. ~ e. e. cummings.” Dot, dot, dot…

At 8 p.m., we drove to Le Club Chasse & Peche, one of my favourite restaurants in Old Montreal. The mysterious ambiance of this sophisticated Modern French restaurant was filled with hushed whisperings from neighbouring tables, punctuated only by the angelic clinking of our champagne flutes. Before retiring back to our hotel, Prince Charming and I spent a of couple hours taking in smooth musical riffs at the Upstairs Jazz Bar. Just before midnight, I looked lovingly at my man (whom by the way was a retired fashion model turned real-estate tycoon) and the magic of true love swelled in my heart. And yes, of course, we lived happily ever after in Montreal…

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